Known apparatus for dispensing refrigerated fluid or paste food products comprise a reservoir suitable to contain the food product. Inside the reservoir there is mounted a refrigerating device, suitable to keep the food product cool. A mixing device, arranged inside the reservoir as well, continuously mixes the food product, in order to keep its temperature and composition homogeneous.
The food product can exit from the reservoir through a dispenser device, comprising a tubular body communicating with the reservoir inside which there is mobile an obturator element that, through a lever, can be moved between an open position and a closed position.
A drawback of the known apparatuses is that, in the closed position of the obturator element, a small quantity of food product remains trapped inside the tubular body. As, in the closed position of the obturator element, the tubular body communicates with the reservoir through a narrow passage, or does not communicate at all with the reservoir, the food product trapped in the tubular body cannot mix efficiently with the food product contained in the reservoir. As a consequence, the temperature of the food product trapped in the tubular body increases.
If the food product comprises ice pieces, as in the case of water-ices, the ice pieces of the food product trapped in the tubular body melt due to the increase of temperature. This determines a diminution of the viscosity of the dispensed product.
Furthermore, in the food product which remains inside the tubular body, bacteria can develop or fermentation phenomena can take place, in particular if the food product has milk based formulation, as happens in the case of shakes, of yogurts, of creams or of ice creams. In this case, the dispensed food product can have an undesired flavour or even be harmful for health.